106

Rophy says: Okay, let’s get something out of the way right off Foster’s bat. Special category, coming through:

Rophy says NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Why, why, why, Mr Thorne???

Sophy says: Well, I was floored. I guess because Jay was captured and rescued in the last episode, it was harder to see this coming – you sort of expect a cooling off period after a character’s life has been threatened once, but no. Not on this show. On this show it’s sudden and brutal, even when you’re the main guy’s love interest. There was no moment in this episode for Paul and Jay – there wasn’t even a moment for Jay, period. But I guess that would have given the game away, wouldn’t it? This is a lesson we learned from Naomily: whenever a beloved TV couple gets too adorable, there’s vomitty rootfop bawling of some kind to come.

I’m sad that Jay is gone, but also understanding. It had to be done. Up until this point Paul hasn’t really suffered – I mean, sure, he’s had some nasty visions and some close encounters with being eaten. And he was hit by a bus. And stuff. But there was no permanent damage from any of that, and that meant that the whole time Paul was going on about how important it was to be a saint, I kept thinking Okay, but it’s easy for you, you pompous little twit. Because he hadn’t suffered. Not in the way Neil has suffered, or John has suffered. So it wasn’t apples/apples, you know? And it still isn’t. But Jay’s death did make it that much more meaningful that Paul ultimately rose up and refused to compromise, that he laid everything – his own life, the lives of the people he loves the most – on the line for the sake of the world.

And you know what, okay, I don’t hate Neil. Because this action was vile, but I honestly believe that he believed it was necessary. Jury’s still out as to whether he was right. But the way he said “I love you Alice, but get out of my way” absolutely broke my heart, because this is what pain has done to him, you know? This is what constant pain and constant fear can do to good people. And there’s very little in that to hate, for me, and everything in it to feel sad about.

Also, let’s take your predictions right now, you guys. Did Jay’s fade make it to the church on time or will we be seeing more of her next series?

Because there will be a next series. Do you hear me, BBC?

Rin says: This was one of those moments where you NEVER EVER saw it coming. ‘Cause we’ve seen it all before. No matter how close the gun is to a persons head, she’s an innocent little girl, and pretty much a main character, so surely not Impossible And then it happened. And I honestly couldn’t believe it, and STILL can’t. When I think about it I literally laugh because it’s so SHOCKING that I don’t know how to stomach it.

I love that JT went there because even with all the death that has happened up until this point, none of it has really hit too close to home. I was sad about Snapey, but even then it was like, well we only really saw her briefly for a bit and it was more of a — I wish we had a bit more time with her character but oh well. Jay on the other hand is a huge, well… fuck. She’s just a kid, and it wasn’t by choice that she was caught up in all of this.

And I don’t hate Neil either. I mean, by all rights we should. He basically slaughtered Jay point blank. But these are circumstances that none of us can comprehend because no matter how much this is based in our reality, it’s also really not. Obviously killing innocent people is wrong. Duh. But Neil really didn’t see any other way. AND I’M LIKE, MAYBE JUST AN ARM? NOT THE HEAD?? WHY THE HEAD??

Sophy says: BECAUSE. Paul is way too strong-willed. There was no way he was going to bow to a threat. It had to be a reality for him, and well, even then it still didn’t work.

Maybe he should have just started with his mum. Poor Neil. This is what you get for trying to be nice!

Which, by the way. Rin, if you’re ever in a situation where I’m going to be murdered unless you do something morally questionable, just so we’re clear, I wouldn’t want you to do it. The right thing, that is. I’d want you to do the thing where I didn’t die. Okay? Okay.

Rin says: Don’t worry Sophy. I never do the right thing when it comes to you.

I think what makes this so very upsetting is that Rin and I are both major dog people. And just… the innocent nonchalance with which the poor abandoned creature is lapping at its human drumstick. Can’t.

Rin says: lol this was so revolting. Why did you have to get the dogs involved?! They didn’t do anything wrong

&

We’re more and more concerned, you guys.

Sophy says: It used to be my dream to work for this man. Not so much anymore.

Sophy says: THIS ENDING. RELIEF WAS FLOODING INTO MY BODY AT ABOUT THE SAME RATE AS PAUL’S WAS FILLING WITH GRIEF, HORROR AND FOREBODING.

Because I have been slightly on edge with this show over the past couple of episodes, hoping and praying that it was going to let me continue to love it as I should. And it has let me, you guys, with this perfect, glorious, completely grey ending to series 1.

Because Paul was right, you know? No matter how necessary murder is it is still murder and it will never be okay. The ends do not justify the means. Compassion is key. Check.

But then Neil was right too, you know? Good and evil go together like a horse and carriage. There is no easy way out. You don’t fuck with ascension. Check.

Also full marks to Iain for his face in this scene. Absolutely gutting. You could really feel how it was all coming back around to his quote in the last episode: I’m afraid of letting my friends down, I’m afraid of not being good enough, I’m afraid of not doing the right thing.

Rin says: I was very glad for the open-ended-ness of the ending. Because there was closure from the big bad of the series, but also a tonne of development, which wasn’t out of nowhere, for something new to tackle next series. BECAUSE THERE HAS TO BE A NEXT SERIES AND I WON’T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY?

The shot of the three of them sitting on a shopping trolley was a perfect image to end on. As Paul is physically unable to tell them the horror of what happened to Jay. And yes, Iain gets full marks for everything. It’s got to be hard to be the one who wasn’t from Skins, when you know a big portion of the people watching will be from the Skins audience. But he never let up and pretty much won us over in the first episode, because for this show to be a success it really needed a strong lead that could stand his own, with yes, the other kids, but more importantly the ‘adults’. I’m always thankful when young actors are truly actors, because I always think, ‘It could have been a Jonas Brother.’

“Every nation has its bloody beginning. And now it’s time for a new nation. Our nation. And I won’t even have to fuck my own daughters to make it happen.”

Sophy says: This whole scene was nothing short of hideous and magnificent. Joe Dempsie really played it to the hilt; he managed to be hilarious, nauseating, weirdly sympathetic, and overall just generally unnerving in the extreme.

Let us fuck them, let us fuck them.

Honestly. My eyes were dinner-plates.

Natalie, too, pulled out all the stops. You could really feel Sarah’s absolute torment, the creeping acknowledgment of herself as a ruined thing – a ruined thing and a finished thing. Because the knife may as well be a sippy cup for all the good it will do anybody, and the visions seem just as hopeless and twice as cruel. Because she has them all wrong. She thinks she’s being haunted, when the truth is that she’s being warned – “What’s the point of seeing the future if you can’t change it,” all that. She’s not there yet. Or rather, she’s not there anymore. Sarah’s losing faith, fast, and why wouldn’t she? All this – the inevitable ashen waste of the world, John’s little story about the hardness at the heart of everything she has stood for, the loss of her body, the loss of her love, the loss of her dignity… it’s all too much. That’s why she winds up in the hallway with the knife and the bad attitude.

And that’s what makes Sarah’s ultimate salvation so moving – we get to see just how close she came to the brink.

We get to see just how close she came to being where Neil is now.

And you know, on that note, my inner Neil stan needs to get back on her dusty, battered soapbox. Because although Neil is as much as a Fade as Sarah is, to me that doesn’t so much mean that he’s evil incarnate, as that Fades are not evil incarnate. Yes, he killed Jay. Yes, it was wrong beyond the telling of it. But were Paul’s choices really all that right either? I mean, even if he hadn’t made the sky go black and doomy, he was still making choices that led directly to innocent people’s deaths. He didn’t hold a gun to their heads, but really, in not pulling the his glowy-hand trigger when he could, he took the decision to let them be eaten in the meantime. There are no good choices in war, only bad ones and worse ones.

And I love how resonant this show is, because it put me in mind of a lot of the big political and moral struggles of our time. I mean, you know a show is thought-provoking when it’s giving you angels and demons and you’re stroking your chin and musing about the complexities of asylum seeker policy in Australia.

Rin says: You’d think we reached the tipping point (Ha!) for terribly disgusting and disturbing stories with, insides of a man, but no! Of course not! How silly of me!

Joe Dempsie in this role is a complete Ruth Wilson. Chris is his Jane Eyre, and John is his Alice. Because as BEAUTIFUL and HE LEFT A PRINT ON MY HEART YOU GUYS he was as Chris.. it’s not one of those roles where you just sit back and go ‘holy fuck ACTINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!’ Joe as John? Had us repeatedly screaming at the top of our lungs at how fucking insanely good he was. So now he’s earned one of those coveted ‘I’ll watch anything you’re in for an eternity’ spots. A big part of me looking forward to the return of GoT is getting to see Joe again. (AND HANNAH DEAR LORD!)

“Actually, when I was 12, when I first read a Bible, I thought it was more than possible that I was the second coming. Jesus – lonely, very complicated relationship with my dad, big love of carpentry.”

I also loved the way this set up that amazing moment when Neil turns around and decides to join in, with absolutely no lols whatsoever: “I was an orphan. No-one liked me very much. I could see dead people. So yeah, I thought it was quite possible that I was Jesus Christ.”

Meanwhile, is it weird that I never wondered whether I was Jesus as a kid? Maybe because I’m a girl…

Rin says: I never thought I was Jesus either.

I did go through a brief stint where I wanted to be a carpenter when I was younger though.

“If you could be any character in any film what would it be?”
“The character Living Person in the film I Don’t Want to Die Here!”

Sophy says: I SNORTED. SERIOUSLY IT WAS LIKE. THIS WEIRD GRUNTING SOUND OF SHEER PIGLETY DELIGHT.

Rin says: Amazing. But also, NEIL DIDN’T LET HER PUT ON SHOES BEFORE HE ABDUCTED THEM?

MONSTER!!!!!!!!!!!

&

“The last thing I said to him… “You scare me.” I told my son he scared me.”
“He is scary. And the world is scary. And unless we leave now, it’s going to get scarier.”

Sophy says: I think this might have been the moment I really fell in love with Anna. Because she’s so damn delightfully matter of fact, but at the same time the delivery of “He is scary” is so gentle and fond. And I just… I love that she knows what’s what. She’s smart, you know? And she’s not going to let her mum brood them all to death? But at the same time you can tell by the tone of her voice that she gets it – and she cares. And I love how “I’m supposed to be looking after you” took us back to the sweet little “That I will try to do” moment with Mac in the last episode.

And that’s the sort of thing that makes this show similar to a really awesome, prize-winning broth of some kind. One writer – all the continuity and layering you can eat. As a crazed fangirl you kind of expect that the writers of your favourite show will be just as overanalytical and obsessive as you are, and it’s disappointing when you get those little moments of disjunction that you show you that no, not all writers are fangirls. Not all writers watch their colleagues’ episodes 60 bajillion times and learn the frames by heart. But when there’s just one writer, well… it all came from them, so it’s all in there. Every line is etched in their brain already the way we fans feverishly etch them into ours. The little things we cherish? The show cherishes them too. ♥

Meanwhile we snuck a cap in of Mama Twins because she’s the best. And we don’t show her enough love.

Rin says: I think my favourite thing about this scene is we get to see the similarities between Anna and Paul. She does have the ability to lead, albeit a little more aggressively, just like Paul. She can take control, and it’s this scene that makes me think Anna could have a really cool more active role next series. And I still say she has some untapped superpowers hidden away somewhere!

And idk. I’m a sucker for kids looking after their parents. IT’S JUST ALWAYS ADORABLE AND LOVELY OKAY?!

&

“Paul can look after himself. And, just a reminder, I’m your other child!”

Sophy says: HAHAHAAH JUST THE WAY SHE GOT ALL UP IN HER FACE ABOUT IT. MAGIC.

And I love that despite the fact that Anna always dresses her insecurities up with sarcasm, they’re very real for her. In fact, they’re actually defining.

Because at the end of the day she simply feels less loved. Less important. Less scary, for all her grr, argh, and less special too. We got that loud and clear in the last episode when she told Jay she believes her mother would choose Paul if someone had a gun to both their heads. And I love that in this episode we saw how untrue that really is. Because when Meg sees Jay lying in a pool of blood, the first panicked thought that escapes her lips is “Where’s my daughter?!” Yes, she thinks of Paul too, because of course she does, how could she possibly not… but the fact is that Anna is the first thing out of her mouth and the third thing too, as she repeats, “Where’s my daughter?!”

The bottom line is there is no choosing for Meg, and I’d love to see Anna start to gradually understand that next series. And I’d like to get a closer look at her relationship with Paul, too, because it doesn’t matter how different they are, okay, or how much bickering they engage in. They’re twins. Their bond is never going to not be something to head-in-hands home about.

Rin says: Lol, I’ve never really suffered from sibling jealousy, and I have 3 of them! Or maybe it’s because I’m the youngest…. Idk. Let’s not get into it! But it honestly must be the worst to feel like you’re the unloved child, or even worse, the unloved twin. So you can definitely see where the whole persona of Anna has sprouted from. If she’s not going to win at home, then she’s damn well going to rule the school.

&

Misc scared, pretty Lily Loveless.

Sophy says: Gazing. Gazing and adoring. Gah. Gadoring.

Rin says: I LOVE THESE CAPS SFM. Apart from the lily (BUT NEVER REALLY APART FROM THE LILY :(((( ), I love how they all kind of melt together with their black background. <333

Oh Loveless. I’m going to once again miss you visiting us weekly on our screens. I’ll still leave cookies and milk for you by the fireplace.

Sophy says: AWWW, just like Father Christmas, when you leave the port and cake out for him.

Sophy says: I love that even though Mac and Paul were apart for basically the whole episode, we still had to double up in this category.

And I love that Mac knows Paul so well. Because he’s right, ultimately. No matter what Neil or anyone else throws at him, Paul will not be put off. He’ll break before he bends. And that makes him super-hero material, even if he looks “like a Hereford cream sponge”.

Also their little backstory re: Scout camp and coming in “a very bitter last” is amazing.

AND “HE’S NOT MY BOYFRIEND”. Best.

Rin says: Would this show have worked without Paul/Mac? Maybe. But would it have been half as good? No.

They are the absolute heart of the show. They beat out Jay, Anna and Meg. And I ADORE that because it’s not too often that the male best friends take precedence over their romance. BROS BEFORE HOS! ..or something less degrading.

“I hated him for having you.”
“And I hated him for having the opportunity to walk in at any moment and see you in your underwear.”

Sophy says: I love how they both shared their first clear memories of each other and we got confirmation of what I always suspected to be the case – these two know each other a whole lot better than they like to let on. And why wouldn’t they? I mean, Paul and Mac have the kind of relationship that is built, in 99.9% of cases, on a shared childhood. And as mentioned above, however different Paul and Anna may be… she’s still his sister. His twin sister. Whatever he was running around doing as a kid, chances always were that Anna was running around doing it too. And that includes bonding, despite herself, with his very best friend.

This relationship has been really well constructed. Basically Anna and Mac’s epic animosity was a house of cards, and all the story had to do was blow on it for it to come tumbling down.

And then what’s left?

CHALK AND CHALK THAT’S WHAT.

I’m going to quote this whole section because it’s just that magnificent:

“I don’t believe in chalk and cheese. I believe in chalk and chalk and you and me? Chalky heaven. Low self-confidence. Chalk that. Low self-confidence from feeling overwhelmed by the exact same person, Paul. Chalk that. He’s getting in! Over exuberance conversationally… yours with aggression, mine with interesting anecdotes to mask the fact that we see the world quite cynically. Chalk that. We’re both funny, chalk that. We both like the same people. Paul, Jay, your Mum. Chalk that.”

It’s rapid-fire romance, you guys, and I am swooning.

Anna, on the other hand, just wants to do mean things to his penis with the chalk.

Meanwhile I laughed SO HARD when they heard noises outside and decided to yell out, because, you know, the whole town is populated by flesh-eating zombies so the best way to introduce yourself is “There’s two of us!!!! We’ve been tied up!!!!! We’re so pleased you’re here!!!!!!!”

Palm/face.

Rin says: There’s really nothing like impending death to get everything out in the open. Works like a charm. That or lots and lots of alcohol.

Chalk and chalk is such a great thing. (AND ANYWAY, IT’S NOT CHALK AND CHEESE, IT’S LOBSTER AND CHEESE.) Chalk and chalk creates things like RophyDoes.

Also I love that Mac still has the time to call his own anecdotes ‘interesting.’ I love a person who never gives up on their own false modesty. Even when staring death in the face.

AND DEAR GOD. NEVER YELL OUT. Never. You’d think Mac of all people would know better.

&

HOLD THE NAOMILY PHONE.

Sophy says: Okay, so we know some Naomily fans were unhappy about Mac telling Anna he’s been in love with her since he was 10, and, well, all we really have to say to that is GET OVER IT.

Alright that was way harsh. Let me explain. Rin and I are huge Naomily fans, just in case any of you weren’t already aware of that. But you know what, they don’t have a monopoly on cliches. “I’ve loved you since *insert low number here*” isn’t exactly a wildly original line, you know? As in I very much doubt that Jack Thorne even had that scene on his radar when writing this.

And I’m going to be honest. As much as I adore Naomily I’m not all that fond of the big ‘true love’ speech, and I actually feel the sentiment works better here than it did there. With Naomily since I was 12 was a plot-twist used to paper over the cracks in a very damaged relationship just in time for a happy ending. With Anna and Mac it’s not exactly a twist, so much as a ‘Well, duh, of course he’s always been in love her, because what kind of a brother’s best friend wouldn’t.’ Really. It’s almost hard to imagine a scenario in which 10 year old Mac managed not to fall in love with this beautiful, little blonde girl who beat up the knights when they came to save her.

Since I was 10 is not papering over anything. It’s not rushing us into kisses or hand-waving dead Sophias. So Thorne wins the ‘since I was’ battle. Sorry Elsley.

(You win our undying love and a set of steak knives.)

Rin says: Ha. Yes. Even though the both of us screamed, ‘LOL NAOMILY’ at each other during this scene, we didn’t think anything of it. I was honestly surprised to read that people genuinely got angry over it. I mean… these two have no similarities to Naomily, even though one of them bears a slight resemblance to Naomi (I think it’s his eyes), there’s really no use in getting upset over it. And to me the ‘since I was 12’ isn’t even the BIG ONE with Naomily. It’s lakes and cat flaps and be brave. Which JT brought you in the first place. SO YOU WILL EAT YOUR HATS, AND YOU WILL ENJOY IT.

And Sophy? I refuse to pit JT and BE against each other. I feel a bit Tegan and Sara-y with them, okay?

Sophy says: I suppose we should just be grateful she didn’t actually eat him. Because, you know, whilst I think it would have been a better end for him as a character than ‘And then he decided to leave town with the brunette after all’, it would have ruined Sarah’s happy ending, and we can’t have that. I do wonder how he’s going to fit into the show next series though – and I think he needs to, to avoid being The Character Who Didn’t Really Matter. Because really, he was a plot device for Sarah this series, and it was a fantastic story, don’t get me wrong, but it definitely felt lop-sided.

I do think the show needs to give us more Mark. But he trouble is that Sarah is his only major emotional tie to the story – and that tie appears to have been cut. But who knows, with the way things ultimately ended maybe she’ll be back? And hey, maybe there was more to his relationship with Neil than met the eye.

Meanwhile it’s a testament to how prettily this show does gross that there are more caps for this category than there are for the pants-dropper.

Rin says: I honestly thought she was going to take a bite.

I do hope Mark comes back. I wasn’t all that happy with his departure either, it seemed a little, ‘After all that??’ So I want to see more of him — and I’m thinking in the same capacity that the Mark (what a nice coincidence) in Luther was used. He can come back and be the unlikely sidekick to Neil. It’d be laughs.

Rin says: I kind of feel like if you edited the series just right, it could also be a very compelling bird documentary.

I’ll look into it.

Sophy says: It would be the best fanvid ever…

Rophy’s Final Thought: This is absolutely our favourite new show of 2011, and really, it has been a bumper year for great new shows.

But we can’t leave it at that. It’s going to go on that list of ‘FAVOURITE SHOWS OF ALL TIME’ too, because it was a breath of freshest air, and basically a work of art. In all the ways. Because the writing, oh the writing! And the direction with the and the and the no-pants. And the acting, you guys. Nobody is the weakest link? Goodbye, nobody?

As far as we’re concerned this show is one of those rare things about which fangirls can use the word ‘flawless’ without being silly. It’s one of those few shows that doesn’t leave us rolling our eyes or ranting or wishing things had been done differently.

I actually only watched this episode a couple of days ago because I was putting off having to acknowledge that it was over, seeing as we don’t know about a second series yet. I couldn’t stand not knowing how it ended though so I finally broke down and watched it. It was so amazing. I’ve enjoyed the whole thing but this episode took the cake. Like all of the cake. As always your recap just made it better and more wonderful in retrospect so… thanks for that. It’s always cool to see you guys are flailing over the same things I am.

i just feel the need to draw attention to mac and anna’s conversation at the end of the episode -the one where they’re addressing paul, arguing about whether or not anna is madly in love with mac – because that was just too funny oh mac, oh anna *head in hands*

Weakest link reference? <3
It's not the best new show for me (that has to go to Pan Am), but it's been a great series. I wasn't really impressed by it at first, but since Joe came along it's been such a great ride it completely won me over. I can't wait for a second series. There's not much to add because I agree with everything you said. Mark's departure left me kinda "meh" but I hope he'll come back next series, brunette-less. He's Paul's teacher after all, isn't he? If they're gonna come back to school he's probably gonna be there.

Omigod there is so much to say about this episode and this whole show i don’t know where to start! *dramatic pause used for pondering*….
I definitely agree that this show goes straight into my fav shows ever, and because of it’s pace (and only 6 episode) i’m so looking forward to marathoning it with someone who didn’t watch yet
The scene with Jay was absolutely heart-stopping, cuz u really didn’t expect them to go to there, and Paul’s reaction was so beautiful.. Not the usual boo-hoo but the shock. I guess just like us, he couldn’t grasp that THIS JUST HAPPENED, and only at the end, when they asked him where’s Jay, did he fall apart from the realization. Really amazing acting from Iain :’)
I too simply cannot hate Neil, just like i couldn’t hate John. Maybe it’s the fantastic acting from both, maybe it’s the spectacular writing, all things combined just made me really sad for both characters. I HAVE ONLY LOVE FOR THEM! is that wrong? lol.
That scene with Sarah almost eating Mark :o Natalie is such a wonderful actress (hell, they all are!) and she’s so deliciously beautiful and her face does these lil magical things.. I really really hope she’ll be back for next season, but since she’s signed on GoT i guess maybe not…
On a side note, i’m getting sick of nude on tv, especially on shows that are actually good and only use the nakedness to lure audiences in. It’s not like i’m against beautiful naked women on my tv, it’s when it’s done just for titillation and there’s no real value to it that i’m bothered. Not on The Fades tho, all the naked scenes were really well done, really felt like there was a reason for them and the nudity was an essential part, and not a single thought about titillation came to mind (cuz cocooning kinda ruins the hotness affect lol).
There has to be a second season!! I must know what happens next since i haven’t got clue.. What are these kids going to do? Most of the town has been eaten and thus ascended, no? What will they say happened there? Or maybe all of that doesn’t matter since something very bad is coming in a global kinda way since Paul fucked with ascension??? AAaaaaahhh how long are we supposed to wait for the answers?!?!?!

great recap guys! although i kinda find it laughable that you can compare jay/paul to naomily. maybe i’m weird for not being invested in that relationship, but they just didn’t do it for me as a couple. still sad when jay died though.

Oh, Rophy. Thank you so much for putting into words all of the unhinged emotions I have watching this show. The show is amazing and you give me that last chance to totally embrace it.

Also, I couldn’t understand why Anna and Mac were bare footed. It makes sense Anna was taken without her shows. But not Mac. And there is a pair of shoes next to Mac. DID HE TAKE HIS OFF BECAUSE ANNA DIDN’T HAVE HERS?!?? <3<3<3 These two…LOVE THEM.

And Lily's voice seems a little husky now in the emotional scenes. Maybe she's been coached by a close friend?

I don’t think his tweet means that at all! He tweeted that right after the finale aired, so I think it was just a thank you – we still don’t know whether they’re getting a second series, but WE DO KNOW ALL THE HORRIBLE THINGS WE’LL DO IF THEY DON’T.

Just wanted to say Iain is AMAZING. His faces when he is promising her she’ll be ok, and when she gets shot, and at the end… But obvs not just those bits he has been amazing all series. Dan is also epic as Mac. Can’t believe now how little they used him in Skins.
I have to disagree about Neil though, I do understand his desperation and why he thought it necessary but that doesn’t change the fact I also think he is a complete c**t.

CARROT BOTTOM!!!!! Poor JT, he’s so cute though! TIE & TIE ’86 is AMAZING!!! You know there’s going to be more right??? Also are you watching Life’s Too Short??? Smell is in that, and she’s hilarious!!!

Smell is Cheryl, his assistant, I love her, and I LOVE that you guys are watching it!! YOU JUST HAVE THE BEST TV TASTE EVER EVER EVER!!
Sophy if you ever do get around to watching FNL I will watch it at the same pace as you and YOU WILL TWEET ABOUT IT! (please do, I really really wanna watch it, I’m trying to force my sisters to order me the box set for Christmas) seriously though, the only reason I still watch GG is because of your time lines about it. God it’s horrible. Sometimes Blair pulls everyone else out of the muck with her awesomeness, but recently she’s also been suffering. I just can’t fucking wait for her to take down Liz Hurley. IT’S GOING TO BE GREAT, I CAN FEEL IT.
Also I am SUPER SUPER SUPER excited for HBC’s ep of Life’s too Short, like my pants are already gone, it’s too much.

Yup, I heard ’88 is on its way. Looking forward to it (with a bit of apprehension, ’86 traumatized me!).
I am watching Life’s Too Short but not liking it. I just don’t get it… Warwick Davies is just playing Brent (well that’s the script not him) and I don’t find it funny. Which is sad cause even though Extras wasn’t as good as the Office I still liked it and found it funny and it had Maggie so was automatically full of win. So I was expecting to like something about Life’s Too Short. I will persevere but I’m really disappointed

I. NEED. MORE. Can I just say how much I adore your love for this show!??! When I watched the first episode I was mildly worried you wouldn’t like it, DOUBTING FUCKING THOMAS, I’m pretty sure this means I have to have nails in my hands to remind me for the rest of my life to NEVER NEVER NEVER doubt you! (Or something. I forget the Bible, but I think there’s some real vengeful stuff in there)
Also “SO YOU WILL EAT YOUR HATS, AND YOU WILL ENJOY IT” hahahaha YES! I was real angry at people who were getting all pissy. DIFFERENT SHOWS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CHARACTERS, just NO, you can’t be angry, NO NO NO!!!
I just love love love Paul. That need he has to try and be good, for everyone to be happy, to save EVERYONE, MY HEART WANTS TO EXPLODE. I just can’t. It’s like that horrible story about the soldier who was convicted for cutting off fingers and keeping them as trophies of people he shot in the war. Everyone went “OH GOD THAT’S DISGUSTING WHAT A MONSTER!!” and all I could think was “Seriously??? As horrible and sickening as that is, HE WAS SENT THERE TO SHOOT PEOPLE. How can that possibly not leave you incredibly fucked up? How is that not a hundred times worse??? Suddenly cutting the fingers off a dead person is worse than killing that person?? IN THE NAME OF HOLY-WHAT-FUCK?!?!” It’s like holding someone’s insides, they’re going to die anyway, you go around killing people, taking their life away from them, surely you have to let it go to a very, very basic instinct where you wonder about the mechanics of it all, instead of the alternative where you think of all the moments and the love you steal from the person and everyone in that persons life when you kill them. It’s just such good conflict, it’s so fucked up, but you can’t really ever know can you? I want to say I’d be Paul if the world ended, I think I’d be Paul, but then you just can’t know until you look the apocalypse right in the eyes, so maybe I would be Neil, maybe I’d be Sarah, maybe I’d sit in the corner and cry uselessly and literally die from self-disgust? IDK.
‘FAVOURITE SHOWS OF ALL TIME’ This made me have the same reaction you guys have to new gifs of Dianna Agron. MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE. PLEASE.

Let’s see, after Rophying for some time, I’ve started noticing things I don’t usually pay attention to. There’s some interesting costuming happening in this episode.
John: since he slippery-slipped out of the cocoon, his outfits have been getting lighter and lighter as he kills into a new wardrobe.
Paul: Finally out of his purple pants and sweater, dark, no longer innocent.
Mac: the shirt he’s wearing looks similar to his blood-soaked shirt from Car meets Paul. Like he’s still imprinted with the experience.

I still think Neil’s a dick. I can’t justify his actions at all because Jay was a person. And yeah, the Fades are totally the thestrals of this show, only probably more vicious. I get that it’s not all “Angelics, good; Fades, bad” because even angels were like, “No, Lot, it’s totally cool that your daughters take the punishment for us. We don’t mind.”

But Paul has proven to Neil so many times that he doesn’t compromise. Neil is all “You have to forget your family and friends and come hang with me.” And Paul is like, “Yeah, okay. But I have a better idea: how about I don’t?” And then Neil is like “Yeah, see what happens when you don’t listen to me? Bad truck things.” And Paul is all, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But you know what else happens after that? Good resurrection things.” And then Neil gets really pissed off and makes Paul kill a Fade and he’s all “I told you! You can do stuff! You should come with me and do stuff because then we’ll win!” And Paul is like, “Okay! But I think we should do this winning stuff my way!”

For me, Neil can’t be rationalized. I would say he should have known that Paul wouldn’t concede, but I don’t think he could. He’s obviously not in his right mind for a lot of this show–he’s so driven by revenge and grief and pain that it’s taken a toll on his ability to reason. For me, Neil and John are very similar characters, only I think John is a lot more sympathetic. Ironically, he shows more human characteristics than Neil does. He might be a bloodthirsty Fade, but he protects his own. He genuinely cares for Natalie and, in his own way, he tries to do right by Sarah. Neil just flat out doesn’t care who becomes a casualty as long as he wins. Even Paul was just a means to an end for him, and that didn’t exactly work out to his favor. If there is a second series, I expect Neil to spend it lording his “triumph” over Paul. He’ll keep telling Paul “Look at how many times I was right about ascension and everything” and ignore all the times Paul was better. I half expected Paul to palm-explode Neil in the scene when he was threatening both him and John, and I kind of wanted him to.

It’s interesting; I think Neil is the real Snape of this story, only, like, Snape in the midst of a massive roid rage. And Paul is Harry, only pre-Sirius. (Jay wasn’t enough to be Paul’s Sirius. Mac is Paul’s Sirius).

speaking rather belatedly about wise costuming, i believe the t-shirt paul’s wearing in the final episode features a graphic of the wings of those birds we saw dropping dead all around him during the beginning of the series.

Shame there was no series 2. I’m gonna have to watch it all again though. Also still rewatching mmfd, and Skins as I said, and I half to finish Glue and I’m also rewatching As if on youtube. E4 teenage dramas atpre the best!